HURRICANE Irma has left a trail of damage in Cuba as the deadly storm path smashed into its coastline.

Damage along the Camaguey Archipelago, which was pummelled by wind speeds of more than 160 mph (260km/h), is expected to mirror the carnage wrought across other Caribbean islands as the Category 5 storm heads for a direct hit on Ciego de Avila province.

Irma’s winds are so devastating they destroyed Cuban meteorological equipment used to record wind speeds.

Power lines and palm trees have been uprooted by the hurricane as sheets of rain lash the area rand huge waves crash over sea walls.

But meteorologists have warned scenes of far greater devastation are sure to emerge as Irma works her way along the northern coast westward through Sancti Spiritus and Villa Clara provinces where it is forecast to turn north toward Florida.

Hurricane Irma: Damage in Cuba latest pictures

The latest pictures of Hurricane Irma as the storm hits Cuba.

Local residents return home after the passage of Hurricane Irma in Caibarien, Cuba

In Gibara, province of Holguin, first reports of damage are coming in with local hospitals and schools suffering structural damage along with other properties and businesses.

The area around the pier has also been badly damaged by the heavy seas where officials reported waves were reaching a terrifying 26ft (8m).

Irma, one of the fiercest Atlantic storms in a century, is expected to hit Florida on Sunday morning, bringing massive damage from wind and flooding to the fourth-largest state by population.

Irma was about 275 miles (440 km) south-southeast of Miami, the US National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

GETTY

Hurricane Irma has smashed into the northern coast of Cuba

With the storm barreling toward the United States, officials ordered an historic evacuation in Florida that has been made more difficult by clogged highways, gasoline shortages and the challenge of moving older people.

The United States has been hit by only three Category 5 storms since 1851, and Irma is far larger than the last one in 1992, Hurricane Andrew, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Governor Rick Scott said: “We are running out of time. If you are in an evacuation zone, you need to go now. This is a catastrophic storm like our state has never seen.”

Hurricane Irma: Damage in the Caribbean latest pictures

Sat, September 9, 2017

Hurricane Irma sowed a trail of deadly devastation through the Caribbean

A man walks on a street covered in debris after hurricane Irma hurricane

GETTY

A Cuban family hunkers down as Hurricane Irma smashed into the island

A total of 5.6 million people, or 25 percent of the state's population, were ordered to evacuate Florida, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

US President Donald Trump said in a videotaped statement that Irma was "a storm of absolutely historic destructive potential" and called on people to heed recommendations from government officials and law enforcement.

The damage so far caused by Hurricane Irma can be seen in shocking before and after photos of the Caribbean

As it roared in from the east, Irma ravaged small islands in the northeastern Caribbean, including Barbuda, St Martin and the British and US Virgin Islands, flattening homes and hospitals and ripping down trees.

But even as they came to grips with the massive destruction, residents of the islands faced the threat of another major storm, Hurricane Jose.

Hurricane Jose is an extremely dangerous storm nearing Category 5 status, with winds of up to 150 mph (240km/h) and is making its way through the Caribbean.